translation

noun trans·la·tion \ tran(t)s-ˈlā-shən , tranz- \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Examples: translation in a Sentence

1 : an act, process, or instance of translating: such as

a : a rendering from one language into another; also : the product of such a rendering

b : a change to a different substance, form, or appearance : conversion

c (1) : a transformation of coordinates in which the new axes are parallel to the old ones

(2) : uniform motion of a body in a straight line

2 : the process of forming a protein molecule at a ribosomal site of protein synthesis from information contained in messenger RNA — compare transcription 3

—

translational

play \tran(t)s-ˈlā-shnəl, tranz-, -shə-nᵊl\ adjective

See translation defined for English-language learners

See translation defined for kids

Examples of translation in a Sentence

She is working on a translation of the novel.
a new translation of the Iliad
There were English translations on the menu.
the translation of economic power into political strength

Recent Examples of translation from the Web

Ayahuasca in the Quechua language means the vine of the soul — or death, depending on the translation — and it has been used for hundreds of years by indigenous communities throughout the Amazon basin, mostly in religious rituals.

— Fox News, "Psychedelic tourism thrives in Peru despite recent killing," 7 June 2018
The translation: Arians didn’t think Brown was smart enough to be anything more than a return man.

— steven ruiz, azcentral, "Pittsburgh Steelers' Antonio Brown calls out Bruce Arians, Mike Tomlin on Instagram," 7 June 2018
Ayahuasca in the Quechua language means the vine of the soul — or death, depending on the translation — and it has been used for hundreds of years by indigenous communities throughout the Amazon basin, mostly in religious rituals.

— Washington Post, "Psychedelic tourism thrives in Peru despite recent killing," 7 June 2018
Dan Rothenberg directs Aya Ogawa’s translation for the Play Company.

— alexis soloski, New York Times, "11 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend," 17 May 2018
Men Are Pigs’ was an outline for ‘Home Improvement’ and the translation was damn near perfect.

— marcia manna, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Tim Allen credits comedy as the reason he's still standing," 14 May 2018
Those who don’t speak Spanish won’t miss much in the translation regarding the postcards.

— susan dunne, courant.com, "'Fragile Handle With Care': The Two Sides Of Puerto Rico At Mattatuck," 12 May 2018
Microsoft incorporated Cortana, the Surface Hub, and Skype’s translation and transcription features, together with PowerBI and Microsoft Teams, into a cohesive working environment.

— mark hachman, PCWorld, "Cortana gets the power of sight in Microsoft's future vision of conference rooms," 7 May 2018
Sometimes just the act of adapting the translation is the only way to ever come across something new.

— hilary weaver, Vanities, "Sasha Velour on the “Queer Fairytale” In Her New Film Anthology," 3 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'translation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of translation

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

translation Synonyms

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, allusion, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics, simile

TRANSLATION Defined for English Language Learners

translation

noun

: words that have been changed from one language into a different language : words that have been translated
: the act or process of translating something into a different language
: the act or process of changing something from one form to another

TRANSLATION Defined for Kids

translation

noun trans·la·tion \ trans-ˈlā-shən \

: the act, process, or result of changing from one form or language into another

Medical Dictionary

translation

noun trans·la·tion \ tran(t)s-ˈlā-shən, tranz- \

: the process of forming a protein molecule at a ribosomal site of protein synthesis from information contained in messenger RNA — compare transcription

—